Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT)

DECT technology is well suited for harsh wireless environments, keeping employees connected when away from their desks, on a construction site or factory floor.

What is DECT? DECT is a cordless communication technology that means phone handsets can work wirelessly, without a cable between the handset and the base station.

By replacing the traditional handset cord with a radio link that communicates with the base station, a DECT phone can connect to the telephone network the same way a corded phone does. The handset range is limited to a set distance from the base station.

Millions of customers use DECT handsets: what are the benefits?

Significant cost savings as part of a TDM network, even more using IP-DECT and VoIP calls

Prevents eavesdropping, even when nearby users have the same model of cordless phone

Avoids interference from devices that use similar frequencies, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, microwaves and other wireless devices

Enhanced personal security in emergency situations; 911 operators know exactly where to send help even if you can't talk

Long talk and standby times, plus a range of up to 300 meters (almost 1000 feet) depending on location and environment

How did DECT technology evolve?

Originally intended for use with residential cordless telephones, it was soon discovered that DECT bases had higher bitrates at their disposal than traditional analog telephone networks. Taking advantage of these higher-speed networks, DECT technology became widely used in enterprise environments for paging, SMS, group calls, telemetry, data collection (e.g., bar code readers and parameter monitoring) and real time, best effort data services that don't need high bit rates.

Some DECT phones support cellular handoff/handover features (also known as dual mode), which allows the handset to seamlessly switch to a cellular network when out of range, without the need to drop the original call and reconnect. This means calls can continue as users move between coverage areas, and from the local range to the public telecommunications network.

IP-DECT phones still use a radio link, but use an Ethernet cable instead of a phone cable to relay voice communications as VoIP for even higher quality calls.

The radio frequencies DECT uses

Whether traditional TDM or IP, DECT phones use a radio channel to relay voice communications from the handset to the base station. Early devices used the 1.7 MHz channel but were susceptible to eavesdropping and interference. Subsequent advances in the early 1990s used the 43–50 MHz band, but the popularity of these devices led to overcrowding and eavesdropping on this frequency.

The Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) standard was developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) between 1988 and 1992 to standardize the use of these radio communications in cordless phones.

Today, a variety of frequency bands are reserved exclusively for voice communications and are less prone to interference from other wireless devices. The 1.9 GHz band is used by the DECT phone standard and is considered more secure than the other shared frequencies.

DECT news from ALE

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